Donor Nephrectomy (kidney removal) is a major operation
Two surgical approaches:
The transplant surgeon will ultimately decide the surgical method for kidney removal when they do a final assessment
- Laparoscopic surgery (“keyhole” or minimally invasive surgery) – small incisions are made in the abdomen, involves air being pumped into the abdominal cavity, then a camera/different medical instruments are used to disconnect the kidney from main artery/vein (3 – 5 hour procedure)
- Open/Flank surgery - involves incision of flank muscles and dissection through the lower ribs to extract kidney (more invasive procedure)
In BC, laparoscopic nephrectomy is the commonly used approach for improved pain control and shorter recovery time for patients